Lilith Fair Musicians Joan Osbourne and Sarah McLachlan were successful in their efforts to convince officials at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion to revoke their policy barring those advocating “controversial issues” from setting up booths at the venue. After Osbourne and McLachlan threatened a future boycott of the pavilion unless officials permitted Planned Parenthood set up […]
Lieutenant Crista Davis defended her right to a “private life” yesterday at a public hearing on the charges resulting from her affair with a married Air Force Academy instructor. She denied wrongdoing and asked that the military not judge her on the basis of her personal correspondence with the instructor. Davis, who is black, has […]
At the Ninth Assembly meeting from July 8 to 16 in Africa, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) denounced discrimination against women in nations and churches. General Secretary Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko pointed out that domestic violence and sexual harassment prove women still face disadvantages in society. In his own church, he said women’s representation was […]
A Japanese court decided on July 31 in favor of a woman who divorced her husband after he demanded she make him breakfast, iron his clothes and clean the house even though she works full time. The husband filed a lawsuit demanding $38,000 from his wife because he claimed she did not abide by their […]
On August 1, 1997, Janet Travell passed away at the age of 95. Dr. Travell was the first woman to hold the White House post of physician, caring for President John F. Kennedy and his family. Her appointment caused controversy among Washington elites since she was the first non-military personnel to hold the position since […]
A web site which rated the looks of girls about to enter a high school in the northern California community of Palo Alto “crossed the line of appropriateness, good taste and even sexual harassment as defined by the California Education Code,” according to Irv Rollins, the district’s assistant superintendent. A woman alerted the school about […]
Despite the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, military discharges for gay men and lesbians reached their highest point of 850 in 1996. Since May, the Pentagon has been reviewing the policy, which permits gay men and lesbians to serve in the armed forces as long as they do not reveal their sexual orientation or engage […]
Halfway through its inaugural season, the success of the Women’s National Basketball Association continues to exceed even the most optimistic of expectations. Attendance across the league has averaged close to 9,000 fans–twice what most experts predicted. The Phoenix Mercury and the New York Liberty draw an average of 13,300 and 11,400, respectively. A majority of […]
Ever since she vetoed her state’s ban on D&X abortions, New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman has been plagued by a small but vocal group of protesters. Whitman, a moderate Republican, vetoed the ban because it did not include provisions to protect the woman’s life. Although pollsters predict that her conservative views on other issues […]
Women’s rights and human rights activists, led by the Feminist Majority, protested the Taliban’s policies of gender apartheid in Afghanistan in noontime pickets on Wednesday, July 30 at the Pakistani and Afghan embassies. Approximately 80 people protested, representing groups such as the Feminist Majority, NOW, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay and Lesbian Task […]
The Army has delayed the release of two reports on sexual harassment which it had previously scheduled to make public on July 31. Secretary of the Army Togo West claims he wants to keep reports confidential until the service forms an “action plan” to present to Congress. A military and civilian panel conducted one study […]
Hours after a news conference publicizing Wendy Lawrence as the next astronaut to stay on the Mir space station, NASA announced on July 31 that it dropped her from the mission. Despite her year of training, Lawson cannot go through with the mission because of her height. At 5-foot-3, she does not meet Russia’s space […]
Alaska Superior Court Judge John Reese issued a temporary injunction blocking a ban on D&X abortions late Wednesday, July 30. The ban was scheduled to go into effect the following day, but a group of abortion rights supporters sued last week to overturn it, arguing that the statute violated women’s privacy rights. A law requiring […]
Millions of women have changed rural life in China by becoming the ones in charge on their family’s farms. According to a U.N. report, women produce 50 to 60% of China’s total agricultural output, while only 13% performed the work in the 1930’s. Factors contributing to the “feminization of agriculture” include stronger property rights for […]
UCLA researchers determined that American women who incorporate fish oil capsules in their diet may reduce their risk of breast cancer. The study was based on the evidence that Asian women, who have one-third less breast cancer than American women, have a large amount of omega-3 in their breast tissues. Researchers hypothesize omega-3, which is […]
Two women candidates seek a nomination to run for the October 30th election to succeed Irish President Mary Robinson. Robinson, a feminist lawyer highly popular in Ireland, is stepping down to take over as the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights. The two female contenders, Avril Doyle and Mary Banotti, are seeking a nomination from […]
Researchers have found that biologically-engineered mice that drank only orange juice prior to being injected with human breast cancer cells, had 50 percent fewer tumor and a 50 percent decrease in the spread of cancer to other parts of the body than mice who drank only water. The study, conducted by researchers at the University […]
The most optimistic expectations for the first season of the Women’s National Basketball Association projected an average audience attendance of approximately 4,500 people per game. Two months into the season, attendance at the games has averaged 8,766 per game. The televised games have at times attracted more viewers than Major League Soccer and P.G.A. Golf. […]
Former human resources director of the Montgomery County Revenue Authority Geralyn Buell has filed a federal sexual harassment lawsuit against the authority’s board members and its executive director, Anthony M. Shore. Buell asserts that during her first six weeks on the job, Shore subjected her to repeated suggestive comments about her appearance and private life. […]
Students who enter the Virginia Military Institute this fall will see major changes in the school. The campus has new lighting and emergency phones, and the barracks house improved latrines and showers. Cadets rooms now have window shades, giving some privacy to all students who previously had none. These changes result from attempts to prepare […]
